Teamwork, focus, practice, communication, discipline. These are words people often relate to sports. But these qualities are also essential for many musicians, especially in high school music programs. And just like in a sport, participants find other benefits as well, things like satisfaction, self-respect, respect for others, friendship and of course, fun.
I was fortunate enough to be one of those high school musicians over the past four years. I play the violin, and quickly got involved in the orchestra program at my high school. Before I joined, I expected an hour-long period in my school day when a bunch of people would rehearse music for a while and then pack up their instruments and go to the next class.
What I found was an instant unit of friends who were almost nothing alike, except that everybody played a stringed instrument. Of course, we practiced our music and spent most of our time in rehearsal. But when we weren’t playing music, we would sit and talk, play card games, trade dumb jokes with the director, listen to CDs on the music department’s sound system or occasionally play catch in the hallway. We organized events like an orchestra picnic, worked the concessions stand at sports events and sometimes, took a trip for a performance or contest. And of course, we had fun concerts. Most people think of orchestra music as classical pieces by Mozart or Beethoven or the like. We did those types of works, as well as Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing,” the theme music from “Lord of the Dance,” Beatles medleys, and the unforgettable “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen.
